


Brothers and Sisters In Arms

by tevans41



Series: NCIS: All in the Family [1]
Category: NCIS, Rizzoli & Isles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-29
Updated: 2012-12-29
Packaged: 2017-11-22 19:34:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/613480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tevans41/pseuds/tevans41
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Navy Commander and her two Marine Corps brothers are found dead and mutilated in Boston. A ghost from the past haunts the city's leading homicide investigators bringing with it ghosts from NCIS's MCRT. Detective Jane Rizzoli and Boston Homicide will partner with Special Agents Gibbs and Dinozzo and try to finally put old ghosts to rest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

_December 10, 2012:_

Pamela breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled onto her street. This week was precisely what she needed. It had been almost a year since she was able to take a full week off work, but she had not been home in more than two years. It had been even longer since she was able to see her brothers. All three of them would be home this week. A few seconds after turning off C Street onto West Third, she pulled her car into the garage of her parents’ home. No, she reminded herself, her home. Her parents had left the house to her and her two brothers when they died three years ago. She got out of the car and lowered the garage door, looking to make sure her brothers had enough room on the curb to park. In another ten seconds, she was in the door of the house and began taking off her uniform.

***

“What do you think?” Jeremy asked.

“She’s Navy,” Michelle answered.

“So?”

“Kind of dangerous,” she said.

“Not if we’re careful.”

“We were careful last time,” Michelle said.

A few minutes later, Michelle had gone around the block and again approached the corner of C Street and West 3rd. “You ready?” she asked as she slowed down.

“Yeah”

At the intersection, she came to a full stop allowing him to get out of the car and head to the woman’s house. Jeremy didn’t bother to look back. This plan was simple, no need to set a backstory like in Virginia. He was just going to go in, grab the woman and then he and Michelle would take her somewhere else for the fun. As he came upon her house, he saw the near window on the top floor was open slightly with the light on. Good, he thought as he skipped across the street to the house. From this side of the house, there’s less chance of the neighbors hearing anything. It took him less than three seconds to pick the lock on the front door and slip into the house.

***

“Geez,” Jane hissed wiping the too hot liquid from her wrist. “There’s got to be a better way to do this!”

“Calm down,” Angela Rizzoli said as she took the bottle from her dark haired athletic daughter. “Just add a little more formula to the bottle.”

“When is Lydia supposed to come pick him up?”

“She and Tommy are spending the weekend together to try to figure everything out,” Angela said taking the bottle over to the crib where TJ lay waiting quietly. “I just can’t believe how good he is. I haven’t heard this baby fuss more than twice since Lydia dropped him off.”

“Come on Ma.” Jane said watching her mother care for her nephew. “Why are you doing this? I know he’s your grandson but they can figure things out without making you babysit the whole weekend.”

“It’s worth it Jane if they get together and make a real family for Tommy Jr.”

“Ma, TJ has a real family.”

“It’s not the same Jane.”

Jane’s cell phone chose that moment to ring, interrupting anything she was going to say to her mother. “Rizzoli,” she said as she brought it up to her ear. “Alright,” she said. “We’re on our way.” As she hung up the phone, she grabbed her gun from the drawer she put it in when she came to her mother's place. “Ma,” she said grabbing her coat. “Maura and I have to go. Will you be ok with him?”

“I raised you and your two brothers pretty well didn't I?” Angela responded. “Besides, Frankie’s staying the night.”

Jane headed out the door and made her way to the main house on the property where her friend and the city’s medical examiner lived. Jane let herself into the back door just in time to catch Maura hopping into the living room with one shoe half on.

“Boy you really are classy when no one watches,” Jane said with a smile as her friend finished putting her shoe on. “You want to ride together?”

“I don’t see why not,” said Maura, picking up her jacket and keys. The duo exited the front door and headed for Maura’s Lexus.

“How is your mom doing with Tommy Jr.?” Maura asked as she started the engine.

“Ugh, she’s in Heaven,” Jane replied. “She’s convinced that Tommy and Lydia are gonna get together and be a ‘real family’.”

“Oh,” Maura said with a smile. “That would be nice for the three of them.” She put the car in gear completely ignoring Jane’s look of disgust.

***

“Look, I don’t know who you are or what you want but you really want to let me go.” Jeremy was starting to worry. The older man was now driving along the William J Day Blvd while Jeremy tested the limits of the handcuffs he was wearing. Only about twenty minutes had passed since Jeremy claimed the gorgeous young sailor. Just as he started truly enjoying himself, he heard the bedroom door bang open and three men entered the room. Two were Marines and the other was the man now driving him to God knows where.

“You’re too uptight,” the older man said, interrupting Jeremy’s thoughts. “I just saved your life. I even let you finish your fun before I pulled you out of the situation.” It was true. Jeremy was convinced that the three men were about to kill him. He jumped off the bed ready to run or be killed trying before the older man tugged on a rope that brought the two Marines falling backwards. It was then that Jeremy noticed the Marines were loopy and quite restrained. The older man convinced Jeremy to help him put the two men into chairs facing the bed before allowing him to resume his conquest.

“Let me ask you,” the man said. “Did you find it fascinating that although you were defiling their sister, both of those Marines were aroused by the sexual acts they witnessed?”

“They were her brothers?” Jeremy asked.

“Oh yes,” the man said. “From their conversation as they entered the house, I assume they were on leave for a small family reunion.”

“So I know I’m not under arrest,” Jeremy said after a few moments. “What do you want with me?”

“What do I want?” the older man said. “Why, I want to help you perfect your technique. I want to make you less sloppy.”

“Who are you?”

“For now,” the man said with a smile. “Just call me Doctor.”

***

A chill ran down Jane’s back when she entered the upstairs bedroom. She knew this sight all too well. There was one exception to this scene than the others. This time she saw two men sitting in the chairs. The men, brothers by the looks of them, tied and positioned in a way to ensure they saw everything that happened to the woman. The openings at each of their necks spilled blood ruining both of their Marine Corps uniforms.

“Jane,” Vince Korsak said coming over to her. “He’s dead. If this is what it looks like, it’s definitely a copycat.” Vince knew as well as anyone the methods of Jane’s worst nightmare. He was there with her almost each time she faced him. The one thing he regretted about his relationship with Jane was that she had to face him that final time without him. Vince wanted so much to be the one to end Charles Hoyt so Jane wouldn’t have to.

All of that was in the past though. Vince watched as his friend and partner surveyed the new crime scene. They both knew that this had to be a copycat, but the horror of the scene brought back the memories of horrors past.

“There’s a clear substance here,” Maura said checking the woman on the bed for additional wounds. The cut across her throat was obvious to all the cause of death, but the medical examiner would never say so aloud until she could scientifically prove it. Jane didn’t want to look at what the monster had done to the woman, but forced herself to look where Maura indicated.

“Considering the location, I assume its seminal fluid,” she said clearly not wanting to be here.

“I’ll have to have it analyzed to be sure.” Maura said standing and shaking her red hair from her face. Her friend’s infuriating refusal to assume brought Jane out of her shock.

“Come on Maura,” she groaned. “Isn’t it obvious considering it’s still leaking-?”

“It could be lubricant,” Maura defended. “Or possibly a gelatin based fluid. However, I would be hard pressed for a reason for finding it here. Did you know that most gelatins are made of 44% pig skin?”

“Maura please,” Jane said clearly disgusted.

“Sorry,” the doctor said. “Based on the lack of rigor, lividity and liver temperature, the time of death was approximately two hours ago, so roughly 9:30 pm.”

“And we got the call at 10:00,” Jane said. “So the housekeeper must have gotten here say about 20-25 minutes after the killings.”

“That’s your domain,” Maura said signaling for the morgue techs to come in for the bodies. “I need to get them to autopsy so I can determine the cause of death.”

“A-are you kidding me?” Jane asked.

Maura simply looked at her with pursed lips.

“Jane, check this out.” Korsak said bringing the attention of both women to him. “Just like with Stark. He made them watch and then killed them one at a time.”

“So who are they and why two guys?” Jane asked finally bringing her investigator mind into the scene.

“They’re siblings,” Frost’s voice came from the hallway. “The woman is Commander Pamela Corsi, 31, Navy. The two men are both Staff Sergeants in the Marine Corps William and Phillip Corsi. Both are Infantry drill instructors. William is out of Pendleton and Phillip is out of Camp Geiger.”

“So we can expect feds to get involved,” Korsak groused.

“NCIS has been informed.” Frost answered. “They’re sending Special Agent Evans from the Newport Field Office.”

“Great,” Jane said. “O.k. Maura are we ready to let the techs in?”

“Yes. I’ll ride in with the bodies you can take my car.”

“Thanks.”

***

The older man looked at Jeremy carefully before taking the keys out of his pocket. Jeremy returned the man’s look with a smile of his own.

“You seem a bit smug,” the man said. “You shouldn’t be. I mean after all, if she comes in here ready to do me harm, I’m afraid this would be the end of our relationship.”

“Who?” Jeremy asked his surprise showing clearly on his face.

“Why, I mean the woman who followed us from the house of course.” The man answered. “I tell you what. Let’s make this as painless as possible. Call her and tell her all is well and to come on in. After all, we’re going to all be good friends.”

The man unlocked Jeremy’s handcuffs and handed him his cell phone. Jeremy took the phone and dialed quickly.

“Michelle,” he said. “He knows you followed us. I don’t think there’s any danger.” There was a quick pause. “O.k.” To the man he said. “She wants us to come out to the car and she wants you unarmed.”

“She can have one or the other,” the man said. Jeremy put his ear back to the phone. “Yeah. We’ll do that.” Jeremy disconnected the line and turned to the man. “We both go outside. You let us separate enough that if she has to shoot you, she doesn’t accidentally hit me.”

The man thought about it for a moment. “That sounds fair he said.”

The older man opened the door for Jeremy who stepped out first and edged to the right from the doorway. The man stepped out next and edged to the left. The car he had spotted following them sat parked just opposite their room and the woman driving was beside it with a gun in hand.

“You can tell her what I told you,” the man told Jeremy. “I am willing to help you refine your technique and reduce your chances of getting caught.”

Jeremy nodded to him and took a step towards Michelle. “But,” the man said, stopping Jeremy in his tracks. “I am also willing to kill the both of you right here to keep my secret.” Jeremy looked again at the man and nodded. “Your choice.”

***

The crime scene tech walked up to the trio as they were scrutinizing the vehicle parked on the curb. Frost had just informed the others that William Corsi rented the car just a few hours ago.

“Excuse me detectives,” the tech said. “We picked up a couple of prints that didn’t belong to the victims.

“Great,” Jane said taking the sample from the tech. “Frost can you rush these? It may be our killer.”

“If it is, it’s just proof that this guy is nowhere near as smart as the others.” Korsak said as Frost headed for his car down the block. “He seem quiet to you?” he asked Jane once Frost was out of earshot.

“Yeah,” Jane answered. “He probably still feels left out because of the Hoyt thing. Thinks I don’t trust him with what went on.”

“I thought you guys settled that.”

“Yeah well, you know Frost.” She said, and then looked up as another car came to a stop. “Oh great.”

“Which one of you is Rizzoli?” the man asked as he approached them.

“That’s me,” Jane said extending her hand.

“Special Agent Romin Evans, NCIS,” he said shaking her hand.

“Yeah,” Jane said. “Jane Rizzoli and Vince Korsak,” she indicated herself and Korsak respectively.

“Can you bring me up to speed?”

“Well,” she began. “All three victims are yours, one Navy and two Marines. I.D.’s show they are brothers and sister. She was raped and tortured before being killed and the brothers were forced to watch.”

“O.k.,” Evans said taking notes. “I have a couple more agents on the way. We’ll take over once they get here.”

“What?” Jane asked incredulously. “No, the victims are yours, but the killer is a copycat of one of ours.”

“Detective Rizzoli,” Evans began, “do I need to point out that any crime involving Navy or Marine Corps personnel whether victim or perpetrator falls under the jurisdiction of NCIS?”

“No, Agent Evans you do not. Do I need to point out that the M.O. of the perpetrator indicates a copycat of a serial killer whom Boston P.D. is intimately familiar with?”

“Then you should have everything together for me to get caught up,” Evans shot at her.

“Listen pal,” she started.

“No you listen,” Evans interrupted. “Two good Marines and a damned good sailor are dead. This is federal jurisdiction and unless you want me to bring you up on charges for impeding an investigation, you will cooperate with it. I want those files in my office by noon.”

“You’re freezing us out of the investigation?” Korsak asked.

“You’re welcome to assist,” Evans said. “Just remember that we have lead.”

Jane was ready to shoot the federal agent in the back as he disappeared into the house. Korsak was only slightly less angry but was calm enough to convince her to head to the office to get the Hoyt files ready. As she pulled Maura’s Lexus onto D Street, she thought of looping around the block just to scratch the paint on Special Agent Jackhole’s G.I. Dodge Stratus. But of course, that would be petty.

***


	2. Two

Special Agent Romin Evans walked around the bedroom, now devoid of bodies, picturing the scene as it was before he arrived. He was pissed. Boston P.D. should have called him the minute they saw two of the victims were Marines. The LEOs should never have removed the bodies until he got here and cleared the scene. He would deal with them later officially. Right now, he needed more information. Just as he was heading downstairs, his partner came in the front door.

  


“Hey Romin,” Special Agent Mason Grey called. “I got the neighbors statements from the local LEOs. No one heard or saw anything until the housekeeper came running out of the house screaming for help.”

  


“What time was this?”

  


“About 10:00,” Grey answered.

  


“Alright,” Evans said turning toward the front door. “Let’s see what B.P.D. might have missed or messed up.”

  


“What’s your problem with B.P.D.?”

  


“Don’t ask.”

  


The two went through the rental cars of the Corsi siblings, finding nothing other than a half-empty bottle of water in Commander Corsi’s Taurus. Grey made sure the local police officers still at the scene knew to send them copies of the information they gathered and ordered the house sealed and the vehicles impounded. The two agreed to meet back at the field office at 9:00 in the morning and headed for their respective cars.

  


“What the Hell?” Evans asked as he stared at the huge scratch down the side of his Stratus.

***

The fingerprint results came through just as Rizzoli and Korsak entered the squad room. Frost looked up and waved them over before opening the file.

  


“O.k.,” he began “Pamela Corsi’s prints were in the living room, the stairway banister, the upstairs bathroom, and bedroom. William Corsi’s prints were on the front door knob.”

  


“What about the foreign prints?” Jane asked.

  


“Two different people,” Frost answered. “One found in the kitchen belongs to Maria Gonzales, 53, a naturalized citizen from Mexico ten years ago. She is the Corsi housekeeper. She takes care of the place while the Corsi siblings are away, which is most of the time.”

  


“Doesn’t seem the sort to rape a woman and murder her and two Marines.” Korsak said.

  


“No, but the second print,” Frost said hitting a couple of keys. “Found on the headboard of the bed belongs to one Jeremy Davison from Kansas City, Missouri and currently an inmate at USP Lee in Jonesville, Virginia.”

  


“When was he arrested?” Jane asked.

  


“NCIS arrested him and his sister in 2004.” Frost answered. “They were prosecuted for attempted rape and murder in Virginia and about five rape/murders in Kansas City courtesy of the FBI.”

  


“O.k.,” Jane started. “If he is a current inmate since 2004, how did his print end up at our crime scene tonight?”

  


“Good question,” Frost answered. “I’ll call USP Lee.” Before he could pick up the phone, Jane placed a hand on his arm and waited for Korsak to excuse himself.

  


“Are you o.k.?” she asked.

  


“Yeah,” Frost said with a raised eyebrow. “Why?”

  


“You just seemed quiet at the scene,” she said. “I told you everything about Hoyt.”

  


“It’s not that,” Frost said. “It’s just… It’s- I don’t feel comfortable around rape scenes. I know I’ve covered dozens of them, but ones like this are just too much for me sometimes.”

  


“Did someone-”

  


“No!” Frost interrupted with a harsh whisper. “God no. I- Look, I was raised mostly by my mom. When I see stuff like that, I think of her. Then I think of how much she sacrificed for me. It makes me sick that people do that to women.”

  


“I wonder that myself,” Rizzoli said turning towards her own desk, leaving Frost to call the federal prison in Virginia.

***

_December 11, 2012:_

After grabbing a few hours of sleep, Special Agent Mason Grey returned to the Newport Field office of NCIS. Naturally, his partner, Special Agent Romin Evans was running late. Plopping down at his desk, the first thing he noticed was a stack of new files marked Boston Police Department Homicide Division. Sighing, he opened the top file, which contained details of the newest case. Apparently, the M.E. determined that the suspect raped the Navy Commander before murdering her and her brothers. Seminal fluid and a fingerprint at the scene indicated that B.P.D. identified the suspect as Jeremy Davison. Well that was easy, he thought. As he continued reading, he realized that maybe he was hasty in this assessment. The file listed Davison as a current inmate at FPC Lee in Jonesville, Virginia. A note on the file showed that Detective Frost called Lee to find that the Federal Bureau of Prisons finalized the orders for Davison’s release in September, but they failed to update the online records.

  


Grey scanned the files for Davison’s rap sheet and found that the MCRT from D.C. arrested Davison and his accomplice just over eight years ago exactly. That is a really short term for six murders, Grey thought. He noted the name of the arresting agent and picked up the phone.

***

Leroy Jethro Gibbs relished these few moments each morning. The twenty-three second elevator ride from the lobby to the main floor of MCRT was his last chance for peace and quiet before the hectic day begins. He sipped his coffee and swallowed down the delicious brew just as the elevator doors opened and his job once again became the focus of his thoughts.

  


As he made his way to his desk, he saw that his team was already hard at work. Tony DiNozzo was on the phone apologizing to someone, probably last night’s date. Ziva David was just putting some files into one of the cabinets, and Tim McGee was typing away at his computer. Gibbs barely sat his cup down and removed his holster before his own phone rang.

  


“Gibbs,” he said into the handset as he placed his firearm into his bottom drawer.

  


“Special Agent Gibbs,” the voice on the other end of the line said. “This is Agent Mason Grey from the Newport Field Office.”

  


“Yeah,” Gibbs said bringing up the agent’s name on his own monitor.

  


“We have a case here that relates to one of your old cases,” the agent said. “Last night a Navy Commander and two Marines were murdered. The Commander was raped before she was killed.”

  


“How does it relate to one of my cases?” Gibbs asked as he went through Grey’s personnel record.

  


“A print and DNA was found the points to Jeremy Davison,” Grey said.

  


Gibbs’s eyes snapped forward. He remembered Davison and his ‘sister’ quite well. “That’s not even possible,” he said into the phone, typing once again to bring the Davison’s files up.

  


“Apparently he was released three months ago,” Grey said.

  


“They got six life sentences,” Gibbs said incredulously. The information he was looking at confirmed what Grey told him, but he still couldn’t believe it.

  


“I know Agent Gibbs,” Grey said. “Listen if there’s anything you can tell us about this guy that’s not in his file, I’d really appreciate it.”

  


“You don’t have one suspect,” Gibbs said. “You have two. He has an accomplice that works with him and she’s out too.”

  


Gibbs heard some typing on the other end of the line before Grey came back. “Yeah, Michelle Davison,” he said. “She was also released three months ago. This doesn’t make sense.”

  


“I know,” Gibbs said. “I’ll call you back.” Before he had the handset back on the hook, Gibbs was on his feet heading for the file cabinet. “McGee,” he said. “I want everything you can find on Jeremy and Michelle Davison.”

  


McGee and Tony both looked at their boss stunned.

  


“Hansel and Gretel Crazy Boss?” Tony asked. “What’s up with them?”

  


“They’ve just killed three people in Boston,” Gibbs said pulling the file out of the cabinet.

  


McGee began furiously typing at his computer while Gibbs made a quick phone call to USP Lee. After the call to Lee, Gibbs made another phone call and spoke quietly for about two minutes.

  


“Boss,” McGee said after Gibbs hung up the phone. He stood up with the remote for the main display. “Jeremy and Michelle Davison were serving six life sentences each for five murders and rapes in Kansas City, Missouri as well as the attempted rape of Laura Rowens and the murder of Victor Grotinski in Alexandria, Virginia.

  


“On August 5,” he continued. “Gerry Allen began proceedings to have their crimes pardoned in exchange for their assistance in bringing an unidentified terrorist to justice.”

  


“What do the Davisons have to do with terrorists?” Tony asked.

  


“Not sure,” McGee said. “Allen used some political clout to push the pardon through. He has a cousin in Virginia’s legislature and one in the U.S. Senate, neither of whom were involved with the pardon, but some of their political allies supported it. As of September 11, the two were released from their respective prisons and escorted to Oman with a translator.”

  


“How did his DNA and fingerprints show up in Boston if they’re in Oman?” Gibbs asked.

  


“Obviously he is not in Oman,” Ziva offered. “His name shows up on the Homeland Security watch list, submitted by the CIA. Obviously he had a deal with them and he renegaded.”

  


“Reneged,” Tony supplied.

  


“I did a search for Gerry Allen in the databases,” McGee continued, “his bank accounts, DMV records and everything. He received a huge deposit in July, apparently from the Davisons, for $350,000. A few weeks after they were released, Allen emptied his accounts and he and his wife disappeared off the grid.”

  


“So maybe Allen and his wife were the ones going to Oman while the Davisons escaped to Boston.” Ziva offered.

  


“McGee,” Gibbs said slapping the folder down on his desk. “I want you to find Allen now. Ziva, check out this terrorist that the Davisons supposedly knew. DiNozzo, you and I are going to Boston.” Gibbs started for the stairs leading up to Director Vance’s office.

***

Jane felt like she barely closed her eyes before her cellphone went off again. She groaned as she looked at the display. Great, she thought. That’s just what I need. She was tempted to ignore the call from the NCIS field office, but decided to get it over with so she could get a little more sleep before she had to go back to the office.

  


“Rizzoli,” she mumbled into the phone.

  


“Detective Rizzoli,” the annoying voice said over the line. “This is Special Agent Evans. I wanted to let you know that NCIS and Boston P.D. will be sharing jurisdiction on this case.”

  


“Great,” she said. “I so hoping to spend a few days listening to you tell me how superior you are because you’re a federal agent.”

  


“Well I hate to disappoint you,” he said. “But my director is sending in the big guns. You’ll be working with Special Agent Jethro Gibbs.”

  


“Jethro?” Jane asked.

  


“Yep,” Evans said. “And if you like me, you’ll love him.”

  


Great, Jane thought.

  


“Anyway,” Evans continued. “Gibbs will be leaving D.C. in just over an hour so they should be here by about 1:00 or so.”

  


“Great,” Jane sighed. “Thanks.” She was asleep before her phone even landed on the nightstand.

***

Doctor Donald “Ducky” Mallard stepped off the elevator just as Gibbs was descending the stairs.

  


“Uh Jethro,” he said getting his friend’s attention. “If I may.”

  


“What’s up Duck?” Jethro asked.

  


“I heard that you and Anthony are on your way to Boston to investigate a triple murder.”

  


“Yeah.”

  


“Yes well, I would like to accompany you as well,” Ducky said.

  


“Why Duck?” Gibbs asked looking at his old friend.

  


“Well,” Ducky said glancing slightly to the left. “There is of course the morbid curiosity. I mean after all this feels like a continuation of one of our own cases and I am sure my records would be of some use. And of course there is the possibility that I may see something that the Boston Medical Examiner may have missed.”

  


“You don’t trust the guy Duck?”

  


“Girl Jethro,” Ducky corrected. “And of course I trust her. Doctor Isles is one of the best pathologists in the country.”

  


“Then what is it really?”

  


“Bear in mind,” Ducky said. “I only know her via her published work, but I believe that Doctor Isles may present a problem for us.”

  


“O.k. Duck,” Gibbs said. “Get your bag. Wheels up in one hour.”

  


“Thank you Jethro,” Ducky said as Gibbs sat down at his desk.

***

The plane touched down at Boston Logan Airport at exactly 12:20 am. Gibbs, DiNozzo, and Ducky grabbed their carry-on bags and headed for the exit with the rest of the passengers. As they left the terminal, they saw a tall man with an NCIS ball cap on waiting for them beside a Black sedan.

  


“Special Agent Evans?” Gibbs asked coming over to him.

  


“Special Agent Gibbs,” Evans said extending his hand. “We have you set up in a Holliday Inn not far from B.P.D.”

  


“Good,” Gibbs said, placing his bags in the trunk. “After you drop us off at their homicide unit, you can take our bags to the motel.”

  


“I thought I’d introduce you to the L.E.O.s that messed up your crime scene,” Evans said. “And give you a quick briefing on what we have so far.”

  


“Do you have the file with you?” Gibbs asked.

  


“In the car.”

  


As the four piled into the sedan, Gibbs reached for the file and handed it back to Tony when the younger agent had closed his door.

  


“The file says that the M.O. matches a couple of other cases B.P.D. had Boss,” Tony said scanning the file. Lead investigator says it may be a copycat or student of the previous killer.”

  


“Who was the previous killer,” Gibbs asked.

  


“A guy named Hoyt,” Evans answered. "His file is back at the office."

  


“Why isn’t it here?” Tony asked.

  


“Because he was killed a year ago,” Evans said turning onto the freeway, “by the lead investigator mentioned in the file.”

  


“Detective Jane Rizzoli,” Tony said, stopping Gibbs from telling Evans off. “It says she has a long history with Hoyt and a couple of his students. What was he doing teaching Psycho Killing 101 at Harvard?”

  


“No he was kicked out of Harvard for fondling corpses.”

  


“Fondling?” Ducky asked.

  


“Yeah,” Evans said. “The guy was a real sicko. Rizzoli saved the state a lot of money.”

  


“O.k. we’ll get a copy of his file at B.P.D.,” DiNozzo said. “Do you have an address for the housekeeper?”

  


“No,” Evans said. “She’s a 53-year-old immigrant, small as a rail. No way she’s a suspect.”

  


“How long have you been in law enforcement?” Gibbs asked.

  


Evans looked at the older agent and shook his head. “Long enough to know a 53-year-old maid that weighs less than a hundred pounds can’t subdue a sailor and two Marines,” he said angrily. “And long enough to not appreciate when my case is jerked out from under me with no explanation.”

  


“But obviously not long enough to realize that a 53-year-old maid that weighs less than a hundred pounds might have seen something important without realizing it,” DiNozzo said quietly from the back.

  


Evans stared out the windshield as he continued toward police headquarters. Gibbs decided to wait until he spoke with the locals to find some relevant information on the case. DiNozzo continued reading the file on the case. Ducky decided to enjoy the ride, as there was nothing he could do here.

***


	3. Three

Jane came into the squad room at 11:30 after grabbing another hour of sleep. So far, in the hour she had been here, she had drunk two cups of coffee and visited Maura in Autopsy to get the latest information on her findings. Now she waited for the feds to get here, so she could have a completely new group of agents tell her she was off the case. She didn’t care what Evans had told her about sharing jurisdiction, feds were feds. Korsak was on the phone just now and Frost was at work on his computer. She plopped down at her own desk and began going through the file than had tripled in size since she sent the first copy to the NCIS Field Office. Maura confirmed that the suspect raped the Navy commander before he murdered her. The knife wounds on all three victims indicated a small thin blade similar to a surgical scalpel.

No surprise there, Jane thought to herself. Then something else occurred to her. “Frost, why is NCIS sending in the MCRT from D.C.?”

“According to Special Agent Evans, the MCRT initially arrested the suspects.”

“Suspects?”

“Yeah,” Frost said bringing up the Davisons files for her to see. “Meet Jeremy and Michelle Davison, A.K.A. James and Melanie Dawson, which are also aliases they picked up in Missouri. Their real names are unknown. We checked their prints and DNA but couldn’t find anything further back than thirteen years ago when they first appeared in Kansas City. According to the NCIS case file, they initially claimed to be brother and sister, but when the federal prisons took their DNA, it showed they weren’t even related.”

“So they work together raping and murdering these women?” Jane asked sickened by the thought. A rapist was bad enough, but a woman who facilitates rape is disgusting beyond reason.

“Does Hoyt have any ties to them?” Jane asked.

“We’ve been digging into that all morning,” Korsak said hanging up his phone. “Hoyt’s never been to Missouri that we can find, so if he knew them it was before they got there.”

“So it had to be around what ten or twelve years ago?” Jane asked.

“About that,” Frost answered. “About the time he met Stark.”

“So they could be military or ex-military?”

“Mm no,” Frost said. “Their prints would be in the system. And we’d have a clear idea of their real identities.”

“Crap,” Jane said turning for the door. “I should’ve known that. I’m going for coffee call me if the feds get here before I get back.”

“Rizzoli,” she heard Cavanaugh yell from his office door. “The Navy cops are on their way up.”

Crap, she thought. “Alright,” she said. “When they get up here, I'll take them down to autopsy.”

She turned toward the door in time to see a silver haired rugged individual walk through the door followed by an older man in a bowtie and a younger one in a suit.

“You must be NCIS,” she said walking over to them with her hand out.

“Special Agent Gibbs,” the silver headed on said taking her hand. “These are Special Agents DiNozzo and Doctor Mallard.” He indicated the two men as he introduced them.

“Jane Rizzoli,” she said taking their hands one at a time. “Alright, let's start in autopsy so you can get a look at the bodies.”

“I can handle the bodies Jethro,” Ducky interjected. “Perhaps you and Tony should allow Detective Rizzoli to get the two of you some coffee and get caught up on the case.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Jane said grabbing the files from her desk.

As she, Frost, and Korsak led the way out of the squad room, Gibbs gave Ducky a look that told the doctor that he knew something was going on.

***

Ducky peered through the plate glass into the office of Doctor Maura Isles. Her red hair was brighter than the almost brown hair he was used to seeing on her face. Of course, the doctor was a few years older than the last time Ducky had seen her face, but the owner of this face appeared about the same age as the face he was used to seeing. Ducky’s heart was near breaking but he had to stick to his plan and try to postpone the moment when his boys would have to meet this woman. Hesitantly he knocked on the doorframe to get her attention.

“Excuse me Doctor Isles,” he said taking a step inside her office.

“Yes can I help you?”

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Ducky said. “I’m Doctor Mallard from NCIS.”

“Oh,” Maura said walking over to him and extending her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. You must be from the MCRT?”

“Yes,” he said. “I came up with Agents Gibbs and DiNozzo to, how shall I say this; simplify your findings for them.”

“Oh?” she said.

“Yes, I will try to act as go between your office and them so that I can spare them the tedium of deciphering the medical jargon.”

“Huh.” Maura said with a puzzled look. “While I appreciate your concerns, I can explain anything they need.”

“Yes but you see Agent Gibbs is somewhat obstinate and prefers the simplest explanations first.”

“If you’ll excuse me for saying so Doctor,” Maura said returning to her desk and sitting. “I think you’re lying to me.”

Ducky let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding before venturing further into the office.

“You’re quite right my dear,” he said. “May I have a seat please?”

“Of course.”

“You see,” Ducky said, as he got comfortable. “The true reason I am here is to try to keep them from meeting you as long as possible.”

***

“We interviewed the housekeeper,” Rizzoli said handing DiNozzo the second folder. “She checks out, says she came into the house, saw the luggage dropped on the floor but didn’t hear anyone. She checked the downstairs rooms and then took the luggage upstairs, which is where she found the bodies.”

“DiNozzo,” Gibbs said.

“Follow up with Mrs. Gonzales,” DiNozzo said. “Checking hotels, motels, no tells, and all modes of public transportation for the Davisons. Detective Frost can you help me with that?”

“Of course,” Frost said and the two moved off to head back upstairs.

“The problem we have,” Korsak said, pushing the button for the elevator, “is the fact that these two have adopted the M.O. of Charles Hoyt.”

“That’s not your biggest problem,” Gibbs said.

“What is?” Jane asked.

“Your biggest problem is these two haven’t been found yet. It means they could hit again.”

“Yeah well trust me,” Jane said. “If they were influence by Hoyt, this whole thing’s going to go to Hell.”

As they stepped onto the elevator, another thought occurred to Gibbs and he pulled out his phone.

“McGee,” he said. “Have you found Allen yet?” He listened to the response and continued, “Find out where he went from there and dig as deep as you can to find out who the Davisons were before Kansas City. Also dig into Charles Hoyt’s background and see where he could have come across these two before.”

The elevator opened to deposit the three of them at autopsy as Gibbs finished his call. He looked up and saw Ducky interacting with a red haired woman with a very nice figure. When she turned to face them, his breath caught in his throat.

My God, he thought. Ducky was right to be worried. To Rizzoli he said, “We need to do whatever we can to keep DiNozzo out of autopsy until this is over.”

“Special Agent Gibbs,” Dr. Isles said coming over to him with an extended hand. “Maura Isles,” she introduced herself. “Doctor Mallard has apprised me of the potential for discomfort. If it is too much for you to bear, I can allow him in this one instance to take over the autopsy.”

“No Doctor,” Gibbs said releasing her hand reluctantly. “You do your job. We’ll deal with our problems.”

“Oh, I’m sure you can,” Dr. Isles said. “I just want to make certain that my appearance doesn’t-”

“Doctor,” Gibbs interrupted. “What do we have?”

“Oh,” Maura said. “Well, the cause of death for all three was exsanguination due to lacerations across the neck severing both carotid arteries in each.”

“Weapon?” Gibbs asked.

“I can’t say for certain,” Maura said. “But the dimensions of the cuts combined with the straight, non-jagged, nature of the incision, it may have been a scalpel-like instrument.”

“What about the assault?” Gibbs asked looking down at the Navy Commander’s face.

“We found DNA from only one donor,” Dr. Isles began. “As you know it matched the DNA for your prisoner, Jeremy Davison. Her assault was brutal. We found his semen in her mouth, vagina, and rectum. Swelling and other tissue damage suggests she was alive through all of it.”

“That’s where Davison varies from Hoyt,” Rizzoli added.

“What do you mean?” Gibbs asked.

“Hoyt didn’t kill his victims until a couple of months after they were raped,” Korsak explained. “We couldn’t prove that he was also the rapist, but he would come to them usually two or three months after they were assaulted and operate on them while their husbands watched. Then he’d hang around for an hour watching them suffer through what he did before he’d finally kill them.”

“He always killed the men last.” Rizzoli added, “He liked making them endure the horror of what he did to the women.”

Gibbs shook his head. Something sounded off kilter, but he couldn’t put his finger on it just yet. He walked over to the tables holding the brothers. Two young, healthy, Marines caught... What? Off guard? Both of them? He forced them to watch as he raped their sister, and then he killed them. Why in the hell is home more dangerous for men and women in the military than a combat zone? Gibbs looked at the two small neat cuts on each side of the men’s throats.

***

“Alright,” DiNozzo said closing up his notebook. “What do we have so far with the hotels?”

“I’ve sent pictures of the Davisons to all of the upscale hotels in Boston,” Frost began. “But I don’t expect to hear from them. Most of them require credit cards and their pretty expensive.”

“Still pays to check though,” DiNozzo said. “These two can change identities faster than you can socks.”

“Yeah well, I have a list of the lower rent places we’ll have to check out personally.”

“Ready?” DiNozzo asked, grabbing his jacket as he headed for the door.

Flustered, Frost logged off his computer before grabbing his own jacket and muttering “Yeah, sure.”

***

September 13, 2011:

Charles’s eyes opened slowly. He saw a vague form standing over him and he felt something tugging at his chest. The form seemed to look at him and grabbed at something, which they brought down to his face. Charles recognized the scent of the anesthesia. As consciousness left him once again, he heard the words Jane shouted at him again.

“I win and you’re going to Hell alone!” the words echoed through his mind as he fell under the influence of the anesthesia.

December 12, 2012:

Charles’s eyes opened slowly. He saw a vague form standing over him and he felt something resting on his chest. The form seemed to look at him and grabbed at something, which they brought down to his face. Charles blocked the blow and rolled off the bed. He heard the clunk of something hitting the floor in front of him and grabbed for it before bringing his elbow up and connecting with the face that was coming over the bed after him. As he rolled onto his back, he swung his other hand quickly and connected with the same face his elbow had just struck.

He felt the knife bounce off his chest before it hit the floor and he quickly scrambled to his feet. On the bed, Michelle lay unconscious. He looked down to his hand and saw the cell phone that he used just before going to sleep. His grip on the phone hardened his fist, which helped him deliver the knockout blow to Michelle’s jaw. Not that he needed it. He looked over to the other bed and saw it empty. He started for the door to see if Jeremy was out at her car but stopped short when the door opened and Jeremy walked in carrying a grocery bag and three coffees.

“Turn on the news,” he said setting the coffee and bag down. “They already know about us.”

“Well,” Charles said coming to stand behind and to the right of Jeremy as he turned on the TV. “That’s unfortunate.”

As Jeremy straightened, he turned and noticed Michelle unconscious on the bed. “What Haggkkk?!”

Charles kept his eye on the bed just in case while his choke hold rendered Jeremy unconscious as well.

***

“Duck,” Gibbs called as he and Jane walked into Autopsy. “Is it possible for someone to re-learn how to kill in eight years?”

“Absolutely Jethro,” Ducky said. “Serial killers experiment to find a method of killing. Each time they kill, they switch methods to make their tasks easier, until they find the method that suits them best. However, it is almost unheard of for a serial killer to change their signature. On the rare occasion that someone leaves a signature, he or she does so to get attention for him or herself. Now of course serial killers such as Mr. Hoyt design ritualistic signatures to achieve the greatest satisfaction from the process of the killing. Once they find that ritual, they are loath to abandon it for any reason. Now, the Davisons did not have a signature per se. Their murders were generally sexually motivated, they had a preferred victim profile, but they did not have a specific way of killing.

“With these victims,” Ducky continued. “The victimology is only slightly different from before. The Commander definitely fits the profile of the Davison’s victims, but making her brothers watch while the assaulted her, in fact having the men there at all makes this killing far removed from their previous method. Also, if they have adopted Mr. Hoyt’s ritual, this suggests their motivations have changed as well. If this is true then they are a very rare team of serial killers. Then there are the murders themselves. Do you see the surgical precision of the wounds? They are very precise very neat compared to their other victims. There is no rage in the killings like there is with the sexual assault.”

“So they’ve learned to satisfy their rage with the assault and became cleaner with their killing?” Gibbs asked.

“I don’t think so,” Ducky said. “The cuts were too precise. Whoever killed these three know precisely where to cut and how deep.”

“So what does that mean?” Jane asked.

“It means,” Ducky began, “that either Jeremy Davison worked out the rage and allowed Michelle to calmly kill the victims, or there was another party involved.”

“So we could be looking for three suspects,” Gibbs surmised.

“Yes,” Ducky said. “This would explain the relative ease in subduing the commander and her two brothers.”

“That a great deal of assuming Doctor,” Maura said looking at the older M.E. uncomfortably.

“Well, yes it is my dear. However, the assumptions are based on my experiences.”

“But there is really no evidence of even Michelle Davison being at the scene,” Maura said. “Based on the physical evidence, we could find no trace of anyone other than Jeremy and the victims.”

“O.k. slow down,” Jane said. “So was the guy acting alone or did he have one or two more people helping him.”

“That’s a good question,” Ducky said.

“We just don’t know,” Maura said.

“Ugh,” Jane groaned. “Wheat about the lawyer you guys were looking for?” she asked Gibbs. “Your guys find him yet?”

“They’ve tracked him down,” Gibbs said. “We have agents heading to Borneo to bring him back to D.C.”

***


	4. Four

September 14, 2011:  
Charles woke again, this time the world was more in focus. Jane must have done some damage with that scalpel, he thought to himself. Looking down, he realized that the doctors foolishly left him unrestrained. He gingerly touched his chest to check the damage. Finding it negligible, he looked over and saw that he was only receiving a saline drip via IV. He disconnected the needle from his arm and sat up on the bed.  
“You’re awake,” the man said from a desk across the way. “It’s about time Mr. Hoyt.”  
“Where am I?” Hoyt asked looking around. “And who are you?”  
“I am Dr. Nelson Reed,” the man said. “I was called in to perform your autopsy since Dr. Isles was unable to, and Dr. Pike is out of town.”  
“I see,” Hoyt said.  
“Needless to say,” the doctor continued. “I had to manufacture the autopsy. Your ‘body’ was sent to the mortician immediately afterwards where a paperwork snafu caused you to be cremated immediately.”  
“So why are you doing this?” Hoyt asked suddenly suspicious.  
“I am doing this simply because of John.” The Dr. said.  
“John?” Hoyt asked, and then he smiled as he remembered the name. “John Stark. I was under the impression his father was dead.”  
“He is,” Dr. Reed said. “John is- was my nephew.”  
“And what, you’re going to kill me because of what Jane Rizzoli did to him?”  
“No,” Dr. Reed answered. “I’m not going to kill you. You’re too important to kill.”  
“What then?” Hoyt asked. “Turn me in for a reward?”  
“That would be counter-productive Dr. Hoyt,” Reed replied. “After all, it’s my name on your autopsy. No, what I want from you is proof that my nephew’s faith in you is not in vain.”  
Hoyt smiled as he eased himself back onto the bed. “And how good doctor am I to do that?”  
“By finally killing the bitch that killed my only remaining blood relative.”

***

December 12, 2012:  
Charles sat at the little table in the motel room thinking about the night he nearly died and the day Dr. Reed resurrected him. He spent a few months after that in the care of a friend of Dr. Reed. He got top of the line treatment for his cancer and a surgery to have the tumors removed. He was down about twenty percent of his pancreas and at a higher risk for diabetes, but he was in remission and he was free to do as he pleased. He looked into the mirror across the room and was gratified to see none of the burn scars on his face. This was another benefit of Dr. Reed’s benevolence. He saw a bit of movement in the corner of the mirror and turned to the brother and sister tied to the other chairs in the room.  
He had given them an injection of phenobarbital to keep them out a while. Checking his watch, he estimated that he still had a couple of hours before they woke. He made sure to bind the two securely and ensure he left nothing out that they could reach. At last, he grabbed the Do Not Disturb sign and hung it on the doorknob as he left.

***

“Excuse me,” DiNozzo said to the man behind the counter. “I’m Special agent Anthony DiNozzo, NCIS. This is Detective Frost from Boston Homicide. I need you to take a look at these photos and tell me if you recognize either one of them.”  
The man put on a pair of reading glasses and leaned down toward the photos. After studying both he shook his head and looked back to the cops.  
“Afraid I haven’t seen either of them,” he said. “If you have a copy of those, I’ll keep ’em under the counter and give you a call if they come in here.”  
“I appreciate that,” Frost said giving the manager a copy of the photos as well as his business card.  
“Ok,” DiNozzo said as he and frost left the motel office. “It looks like we’ve got three more motels on your list.”  
“Yeah,” Frost said stopping DiNozzo before he could walk into the path of a vehicle coming out of the parking lot. “Listen, the next one on the list is next to a great pizza place. You wanna grab a-” Frost stiffened and looked toward the exit of the parking lot.  
“Grab a…” DiNozzo said. Looking toward where Frost was looking. “What was it?”  
“Nothing man,” Frost said. “This case is just bringing back a lot. We’re all thinking about Hoyt constantly. It’s just the guy in that car looked a lot like him.”  
“Huh,” DiNozzo said. “Well we know that’s not even possible. I mean your partner killed him right?”  
“Yeah, that’s why this whole thing is so creepy.”  
“Huh,” DiNozzo said again. “Let’s go grab that slice.”

***

August 21, 2012:  
Michelle opened the letter the guard handed her. The letter, addressed to her from USP Lee in Virginia bore no sender name. Even without the name, she recognized the handwriting.  
M,  
I do not expcet this letter will find you any happier than the last one. I have lobbied the warden again and they still will not allow me to clal you. I miss hearing your voice so much. I have not heard from you in over a month. I hope you will at least answer this letter son. Did you meat the new lawyer? I hope that after eight years inn here, we will hear about our appeal soon. I need to hear from you and know how you are. I have spent the last there weaks waiting for a letter or a note of some kind. Please let me know how you are.  
J.  
Michelle recognized the code right away. Jeremy only misspelled words when he wanted her to pay attention to what he was saying. He was planning something. He was hatching a plan that would have them together again in three weeks. She tore the letter up and flushed it down the in-cell toilet. Whatever he was planning, she could not allow anyone to find and decipher any of their correspondences.

***

September 11, 2012:  
Jeremy paced in front of the car nervously. He had waited eight years for this, and the damned lawyer was taking too long to do what they came for. He wanted nothing more than to walk through those gates and slash every throat until he got to Michelle, but that would counter everything they had worked for these past years.  
It took him forever to find the right lawyer to pull off his and Michelle’s release. He needed one with the connections to set everything in motion, and greedy enough to do it for a price. When he finally found Gerry Allen, he hit the jackpot. Not only was he former navy, but he was connected to the Virginia Legislature and the U.S. Senate. The best part was neither Allen nor his political relatives came from easy money so the promise of some quick untraceable cash was very alluring. Thanks to Jeremy’s work program in the prison, he had access to computers all day. It didn’t take him long to funnel enough money from several accounts into his own. Once he had enough to pay the lawyer, and a little extra to live on, Jeremy found Allen and began a plan to get him and Michelle out of prison.  
Jeremy had to admit that Allen did good work, but at this particular moment, he was going crazy waiting for the lawyer to get Michelle out of this stinking hole. Just as it appeared his frustration would get the best of him, he saw them walk out the main gate. As soon as she saw him, they both broke into a run towards each other. In the middle of their passionate reunion, the lawyer cleared his throat and touched them each on the shoulder.  
“We need to go now,” he said as they broke apart. “NCIS will probably get the news soon, and we don’t need to be anywhere near here when they do.”  
“Yeah,” Jeremy said turning to the car. “Our new life awaits us.”

***

December 12, 2012:  
Jeremy heard a quiet moan as the cobwebs began clearing. Mel, he thought. When he tried to say her name aloud however, he found his voice muffled. His eyes snapped open and he frantically looked around. The cords that bound him bit into his arms. Michelle too struggled against the tight cords as she looked around frantically. They locked eyes and for one moment, the same thought screamed through each of their minds. He’s going to kill us!

***

“Rizzoli,” Jane said bringing her phone up to her ear. “Where?” She listened as she got the information. “O.k. we’re on our way.” As she disconnected and put her phone in her pocket, she turned to Gibbs and Korsak. “We caught another case,” she said to the two. “Gibbs, can you and Dr. Mallard handle things here while we go to this new scene?”  
“Sure,” Gibbs said. “We have some information being sent over to us we need to sift through anyway.”  
“Great,” Jane said grabbing her jacket. “Let’s go Korsak.”  
After the two detectives left, Gibbs made his way to Lieutenant Cavanaugh’s office and knocked on the door.  
“Come in,” the lieutenant called. Gibbs stepped into the office and closed it behind him before stopping in front of the lieutenant’s desk. “Special Agent Gibbs,” Cavanaugh said standing to shake the other man’s hand. “How can I help you?”  
“I need a desk and a computer,” Gibbs said. “I need to be able to access some files at NCIS without going through intermediaries.”  
“Not a problem,” Cavanaugh said picking up his phone. “Detective Riley is still on loan to another department. You can use her desk. I’ll have a guy from IT come up and set you up with access.”  
“I appreciate it Lieutenant,” Gibbs said turning to leave.  
“Agent Gibbs,” Cavanaugh said holding up a hand. He spoke quietly and quickly into the phone before continuing with his guest. “I know you’ve been brought up on Charles Hoyt and everything.”  
“Yeah.”  
“The guy that did his autopsy was just found dead.” Cavanaugh said.  
“Doctor Isles didn’t do the autopsy?”  
“No,” Cavanaugh said. “She was with Rizzoli when she stabbed him. A material witness and potential victim couldn’t perform the autopsy. It would have been a conflict. Our backup M.E. was out of town dealing with personal issues, so we had one brought in.”  
“And now he’s dead when three bodies show up dead using Hoyt’s M.O.”  
“Yeah.”  
“I’ll start looking into Doctor…”  
“Reed,” Cavanaugh said.  
“I’ll get my best guy on it.”  
“Thanks Gibbs,” Cavanaugh said. “Don’t let Rizzoli know about it until you find out anything.”  
“Yeah,” Gibbs said. He stood at the door for a second before turning around and taking a seat across from Cavanaugh. “Maybe you should tell me everything about Detective Rizzoli and Charles Hoyt.

***

“It all started between them before I came to Homicide,” Frost said. “Back then Rizzoli was Korsak’s partner. They were chasing down a guy the press started calling The Surgeon. He would tie up couples and make the men watch as he operated on the women.”  
“Operated how?” Tony asked.  
“He would surgically remove their uterus.”  
“Ouch,” Tony said. “Sounds like a horrible way to die.”

***

“They wouldn’t die right away,” Cavanaugh said. “He would tie off the arteries and everything to make sure they stayed alive.”  
“And the men,” Gibbs asked.  
“Nothing,” Cavanaugh said. “He wouldn’t even acknowledge them until he was finished. He made them watch what he did to their wives or girlfriends. Kinda like increasing their horror to increase his pleasure.”  
“How did it become personal with Rizzoli?” Gibbs asked.

***

Frost swallowed his pizza with a gulp of soda. He leaned back in the booth and looked off to the right before sighing and shaking his head.  
“I’m not sure about the details,” he said. “From what I’ve gathered, Hoyt took an interest in her and went after her. She found him first. She tracked him to where he was hiding. He knocked her out and pinned her to the floor with scalpels. Korsak found her just in time. Hoyt was going in for the kill.”  
“Must have been rough on her,” DiNozzo said.  
“She freaked out a bit,” Frost said. “She started thinking that Korsak would pity her after seeing her like that. She asked for a new partner, and that’s how I came to Homicide.”

***

“And she’s had to put up with him what, three times since?” Gibbs asked.  
“Including the last time when she…” Cavanaugh trailed off.  
“When she killed him,” Gibbs finished.  
“That’s the thing,” Cavanaugh said standing and walking to his file cabinet. “She stabbed him with a scalpel. Dr. Isles couldn’t do the autopsy and Dr. Pike was out of town so we brought in this other guy, Dr. Reed.” Cavanaugh pulled out the file he was looking for and scanned through it until he came to the part he needed. “He concluded that Hoyt ‘died of exsanguination due to a laceration of the superior vena cava.’ After the autopsy, the body was released to a local mortuary and cremated.”  
“That sounds convenient,” Gibbs said.  
“Doesn’t it.” Cavanaugh grunted as he sat back at his desk.  
Gibbs stood and moved once again towards the door and looked back as he opened it. “Thanks for the desk Lieutenant.”  
Cavanaugh nodded as he watched the door close.

***

“You’re awake,” Charles said as he closed the motel room door. “That’s good. Let me just grab a couple of things and we can get started.”  
Jeremy and Michelle watched as Hoyt went to the bathroom. They heard him pull the vent cover down from the ceiling and then shove it back up. When he came out of the bathroom he carried a rolled up cloth satchel that he placed on the table.  
“Being a realist,” He said as he unrolled the satchel. “I have always known that I would not live forever. I have tried in the past to train others in my profession so that they could continue my work after I was gone. Call it a form of narcissism if you will, but I find a kind of comfort knowing that someone out there will continue what I started.”  
Hoyt displayed the contents of the satchel and the bound duo looked on with a combination of shock and fear. They had endured too much, planned too well for the end to come this quickly.  
“I had hoped...” Hoyt continued, as he extracted the surgical tools and arranged them on the table, “that this time, I would have two students. I was awash with the possibilities. One could inflict the physical tortures while the other could simultaneously inflict psychological trauma.”  
Hoyt pulled a chair around and sat facing the two. He sat studying their faces and watching as they squirmed and struggled against their restraints. The fact that Jeremy was the first to give up amused him slightly, but failed to surprise him. He stopped struggling and slumped in his chair. When Michelle heard her lover begin sobbing, she too gave up and her tears fell.  
“You see,” Hoyt said running a finger down her face, tracing her tears. “This is why you could never do as my pupils.” Hoyt stood and moved behind Michelle, watching Jeremy closely. “You don’t trust me to keep you safe,” he whispered into Michelle’s ear. “And you’re smart enough to eventually kill me and take over completely. I can’t have that.” Hoyt stabbed a needle into Michelle’s neck and pushed the plunger.

***


	5. Five

December 13, 2012:  
Gibbs and Rizzoli sat together in the Boston Police Department interrogation room. Across from them sat Gerry Allen, fidgeting and sweating.  
“So,” Jane said leaning in towards Allen. “Tell me about Jeremy and Michelle Davison.”  
“They-” Allen squeaked before clearing his throat. “They are on assignment to Sudan to help the CIA identify a terrorist.”  
“Sudan?” Rizzoli asked.  
“Yes,” Allen sat back a bit. “They approached me with information about a terrorist they knew and asked me to intervene with the CIA to allow them to help locate and identify him.”  
“What is the terrorist’s name?” Gibbs asked.  
“I don’t know,” Allen said, shaking his head. “They said they would only give the CIA that information when the deal was made and they were released.”  
“You arranged their release on September 11?” Rizzoli asked.  
“Yes,” Allen said leaning into the table himself. “Look, I get why NCIS is involved. I mean you guys are the reason they were in prison. But why is Boston PD interested in the Davisons?”  
“You said they were in Sudan,” Gibbs said ignoring Allen’s question. “When did they go there?”  
“When they were released,” Allen said. “The CIA took them straight there.”  
“No,” Gibbs said. “According to their file, a CIA interpreter took them to Oman.”  
“I-I-I didn’t know the particulars,” Allen said. “I assumed it was Sudan.”  
“When did you ditch the interpreter?”  
“I never met him,” Allen started fidgeting again.  
“No?”  
“No.”  
“But you went to Oman with him,” Gibbs said handing Allen a sheet of photograph. “That’s you and your wife with the CIA translator at Muscat International Airport in Oman coming off a British Airways flight.” Gibbs handed over another photo. “And here is you and your wife arriving back in London seven and a half hours later without the interpreter.”  
Rizzoli smiled as the small man began sweating more. She pulled a sheet of paper out of the file and handed it to Allen.  
“Flight attendants identified you and your wife sitting next to Raymond Watts,” Rizzoli said, “the CIA translator on the flight into Oman, but the flight manifest doesn’t have either of you listed. They do have Jeremy and Michelle Davison listed and assigned to those seats.”  
Allen slumped in his chair. As sweat dripped off the end of his nose, tears formed and ran down his face.  
“Please,” he said. “Nancy didn’t have anything to do with this. She thought we were just going on a vacation. She didn’t even know I was using the Davison’s names.”  
“Why don’t you tell us what happened,” Gibbs said.  
“I got an email from Jeremy back in July,” Allen started. “He said he needed help with some legal issues and wanted someone who could help him with Homeland Security.”  
“Why you?” Gibbs asked. “You’re basically little more than a legal aid lawyer.”  
“I didn’t know at the time,” Allen said. “After we met he told me that he could pay me a quarter of a million dollars if I could get him a deal with the state department to get him and his wife released.”  
“That’s a lot of money to broker a release,” Rizzoli said.  
“My business has been going downhill a lot lately,” Allen said. “My brothers and sister, even my cousins have loaned me money this year. A quarter of a million helped me pay them back and set up a trip to Borneo with my wife.”  
“According to your bank records, Davison paid you three-hundred-fifty-thousand dollars,” Gibbs said.  
“Yeah,” Allen nodded. “He said the extra hundred was for getting the job done quickly and for us to take his place with the interpreter.”

***

Korsak got out of the passenger seat and reached back to open the door for Tony. With Frost joining them, the trio headed for the motel room where the patrol officer was standing.  
“It’s bad in there Sarge,” officer Hauser said to Korsak as they came up. “Rizzoli’s still in there, but he’s not lookin’ too good himself.”  
As the two homicide cops and the federal agent stepped into the room, the coppery smell of a lot of blood assaulted their noses. Korsak glanced at Frank Rizzoli Jr. and nodded for him to go ahead and step out.  
“Wow,” DiNozzo said looking at the bodies. “This is something sick. Is that a fresh incision?” Frost looked at where DiNozzo was pointing and gulped before leaving the room himself. “What’s with him?” DiNozzo asked watching him leave.  
“Too much to go into,” Korsak said with no humor. “Jane’s gonna be pissed.”  
“So’s Gibbs,” Tony said. “This is definitely the Davisons.”  
“So we are looking for another one,” Korsak said. “It’s creepy the similarities.”  
“We need to go over every detail of Hoyt’s life,” DiNozzo said. “We need to find everyone that he’s come in contact with. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find out who’s doing his work this time.”  
“Oh my God,” Maura said coming into the room.  
Tony looked up and saw Boston’s Medical Examiner for the first time since he got here.  
“Kate?” he said in a near whisper.  
“Hm?” Maura said turning her head to him. “Oh. No, Agent DiNozzo, I’m Dr. Maura Isles.”

***

Charles peered through the binoculars and watched as the whole group emerged from the motel room. With the Davisons dead, the Navy cops would be leaving soon. Jane would eventually let her guard down. All he needed was patience. He watched Maura lead the processional out of the motel room with the bodies following her and the Navy M.E. bringing up the rear. The two doctors consulted briefly before getting into Maura’s Lexus and following the ambulance out of the parking lot. The two Navy cops stayed behind while the older one consulted with Jane and her fat partner. Something else was going on too.  
Charles focused the binoculars on the younger Navy cop. He was fixated on the back of Maura’s car as it disappeared. The look on his face was all-too familiar to Charles. The boy is obsessed with our Dr. Maura, Charles thought with a smile. We can work with this.

***

Tony was still in shock. He watched the Lexus leave the motel parking lot and turned to his boss, who was still talking to Detective Rizzoli. He knew the Gibbs had met the M.E. and he didn’t say a word. Ducky obviously knew too and nothing from him either. Why would they keep this from me? Tony asked himself. When Rizzoli, Korsak and Frost got into Frost’s car and headed out of the parking lot themselves Gibbs approached Tony.  
“We’re gonna stick around and help them find the guy doing this,” Gibbs said.  
“While we’re at it,” Tony said staring Gibbs in the eye. “Why don’t we look for the guy who decided to hide the fact that Kate’s double was three floors from me all week.”  
“DiNozzo,” Gibbs started.  
“No,” Tony said. “What was it? Did you think I couldn’t handle seeing her? Did you think I would let my emotions run wild and not be able to do my job?”  
“Yes,” Gibbs said. “It’s been almost eight years and it still kills you that she’s dead.”  
“How do you know how I feel about it?”  
“You’ve changed your whole life Tony. You talk a big game, but I can actually count the number of women you’ve dated since Kate died. You’ve redecorated your apartment in a way that guarantees you’ll live there alone. Hell,” Gibbs looked at his friend with hurt in his own eyes. “You even keep the people closest to you at a distance.”  
“And you think that gives you the right to keep me in the dark about this?”  
“Tony,” Gibbs said. “Do you remember when we went after Ziva? How you lobbied to go after her and bring her home?”  
“Of course I do.”  
“That was the first time I saw you show how much it hurt to lose someone since Kate died. It was the first time I saw any sign that you cared for anyone. I haven’t seen it since.”  
“It’s because everyone I care about is where I can protect them.”  
“You can’t always protect them DiNozzo.”  
“You’re right,” Tony said through gritted teeth. “But I can do more than I did for her.”  
“Is that what you think? That you didn’t do enough for her?”  
“She took a bullet to the vest,” Tony practically shouted. “The she took one in the forehead while I stood there laughing.”

***

Jane threw the keys onto the table with just a little too much force. She didn’t even notice as they slid off the other side into the floor. This is freakin’ ridiculous, she thought to herself. Freakin out over these murders is useless. Hoyt’s dead and odds are whoever this creep is has no idea who I am.  
She had barely gotten to the refrigerator to grab a beer when a knock on her front door made her jump. Crap, she thought again as she headed to the door. With a hand on her gun, she peered through the peephole and sighed when she saw the person on the other side.  
“Jeez Tommy,” she said opening the door. “Please don’t tell me you need me to babysit.”  
“No,” Tommy said as he and T.J. stepped into the apartment. “We just came by to see our favorite aunt. Isn’t that right T.J.?”  
“We need to get him something to eat.” Jane said taking her nephew from his dad.  
“Man, you’re worse than mom,” Tommy said. “Lydia pumped him three bottles before we left.”  
“So what’s up?” Jane asked.  
“Eh we just wanted to come by and see you,” Tommy said sitting beside his sister.  
“Seriously?” Jane said. “You just decided to pop by with my nephew because you missed seeing me?”  
“I’m thinking about marrying Lydia.”  
“What?” Jane asked looking at her brother.  
“What?” he asked. “I mean it’s not the worst idea.”  
“Did mom talk you into this?”  
“No,” Tommy said. “It’s just that… I mean let’s face it, I’m kind of flaky sometimes and Lydia well, she’s not perfect either. But we both love T.J. and we do get along.”  
“But marriage Tommy?”  
“Come on,” Tommy said. “At least Lydia’s hot.”  
“Oh that’s fine then,” Jane said. “As long as she’s hot you should definitely marry her.”  
“Come on Jane,” Tommy said. “I think it’s a good thing. For all of us.”  
“But what about love Tommy?” Jane asked.  
“What about it?”  
“Why would you marry someone you don’t love?”  
“Who says I don’t love her?”  
“Do you love her?” she waited a few seconds for him to answer. “You see?”  
“I mean it’s not like I don’t love her,” Tommy said.  
“Tommy seriously,” Jane said. “Think about what kind of marriage you’d have with a woman you’re not in love with.”  
“Think about how many people that are in love that end up getting divorced.”  
“Look,” Jane said. “All I’m asking is for you to think about it for a while before you decide.”  
“I have thought about it,” Tommy said. “Jane, this is what I want. And if it doesn’t work, then we’ll come up with another plan.”  
“Seriously Tommy? Is this how you think it’s supposed to work?”  
“I think this is gonna work for us,” Tommy patted his sister’s leg as he got up and reached for his son. “I just wanted to come by and tell you so you can get used to the idea before we tie the knot.”  
“Yeah well,” Jane said walking with him to the door. “It might take a while for me to get used to it.”  
“It’s o.k.,” Tommy said. “It’s gonna take a while for us to get everything worked out anyway.”  
As Tommy walked down the stairs, Jane closed and locked her door before heading back into the kitchen for that beer she need so badly.

***

That first taste of Budweiser tasted so good. Tony swallowed the beer and held the bottle to his forehead. The argument with Gibbs lasted more than twenty minutes. By the time he was finished venting he’d realized that his boss was right. No matter how glib he was or how much he tried to keep everyone safe while keeping each one at a distance, he knew that the pain of losing Kate still haunted him and probably always will.  
The problem was he hadn’t just lost a partner. He really did love her. I mean we were like brother and sister, he thought to himself. Deep down though he couldn’t really lie to himself. He looked up as the motel room door opened and Gibbs stepped in.  
“Hey Boss,” he said standing up and grabbing another beer from the reach-in refrigerator on the dresser while Gibbs put three pizzas on one of the beds. “McGee called. According to the CIA, the Davisons lied about knowing anything about a terrorist. They’re not sure how, but Jeremy got the information about a guy on their radar while he was in jail. He used that to give him and Michelle ammunition to get them out of prison.”  
“And their link to Hoyt?” Gibbs asked as a knock came at their door.  
“From what we can find,” Tony sad grabbing the top pizza and nodding to Ducky who entered. “There are no links between the Davisons and Hoyt. They have no links to the military until Rowan, ironically no links to the field of medicine until then. Of course, McGee could only base that on what he dug up. We still have nothing on them prior to Missouri.” Tony opened the lid on his pizza and smiled. “I forgive you,” he said before digging out his first slice.  
“Well perhaps I can help there.” Ducky said taking a slice from the box Gibbs offered. “What if Hoyt and the Davisons met here in Boston just prior to the death of the Corsi siblings.”  
“I hate to break it to you Duck,” DiNozzo said. “But the guy’s dead.”  
“Rule thirty-four Tony,” Gibbs said.  
“When you eliminate the impossible, whatever’s left, no matter how improbable must be true.” Tony said pulling a second slice of pizza out.  
“Yes Jethro,” Ducky said. “Very Sherlock Holmes of you. Now, I have perused the autopsy report on Charles Hoyt, per your suggestion.”  
“And?”  
Ducky brought a folder from under his jacket and opened it.  
“According to Dr. Reed’s notes,” Ducky began. “The patient, a Caucasian male in his late fifties was presented with a number 10 scalpel protruding from the center of his chest. After examination, he determined that the scalpel has pierced the aorta and superior vena cava, causing exsanguination.”  
“Makes sense,” Tony said tearing into his third slice.  
“To everyone but a doctor,” Ducky said. “You see Tony, in most humans, the area Dr. Reed indicated is generally protected by the breastbone.”  
“Yeah Duck, but the M.E. said the scalpel was sticking out of the center of his chest.”  
“It couldn’t have made it through the bone DiNozzo,” Gibbs said.  
“Quite right Jethro,” Ducky said. You see the number 10 scalpel is generally no more than an inch or so long depending on the brand. Additionally, it is very thin. Now it is quite possible that Detective Rizzoli stabbed Mr. Hoyt and caused the scalpel to penetrate to the heart depending on the handle, but she could not have done so through the breastbone.”  
“So it would have broken,” DiNozzo said.  
“Correct. Now, the laceration to the aorta and vena cava could still have happened if Mr. Hoyt’s heart had been displaced, but he left no notations indicating this to be true.”  
“So Rizzoli and Hoyt faked his death?”  
“No,” Gibbs answered. “She hates him too much.”  
“And far too afraid of him to be in collusion with him,” Ducky added.  
“So the M.E.,” Tony said. “Dr. Reed.”  
“It would seem so.”

***


	6. Six

Abby sat on the couch staring at the wall. Gibbs called her just before she left the lab and gave her the news. This is the first time in years that she was depressed this close to Christmas. Tim came into the room with two mugs of cocoa.  
“Abby,” he said sitting next to her and handing her a mug. “It’s still almost a week away. They’ll make it back in time.”  
“I don’t know Timmy,” Abby said. “They’re not even sure who they’re looking for and the guy’s a real sicko. What if they try to do something to them?”  
“You know if Gibbs thought there was any real danger, he’d call the rest of us in.”  
“I know,” she said taking a sip of her cocoa. “It’s just that I don’t like having my family separated this close to Christmas.”  
“Would it cheer you up if I told you a secret?”  
“I doubt it,”  
“I just snooped into Tony’s email,” McGee said with a grin. “He’s getting a visit for Christmas.”  
“Oh my God,” Abby said sitting up straight. “Please don’t say it’s Wendy.”  
“No,” McGee said. “His dad.”  
“Tony Sr. is coming?” Abby squealed.  
“Yep.”  
“Oh my God McGee,” she said practically bouncing. “This is big! They haven’t spent Christmas together in forever.”  
“I know,” McGee said. “You have to keep it under wraps though. Tony doesn’t know yet.”  
Abby was suddenly very excited again. She jumped from the couch and began pacing the living room floor.  
“You know what would be awesome for next year,” Abby said stopping short and pointing to McGee. “If we can get all of our families together for the holidays.”  
“Wh- all?”  
“Yeah,” Abby said. “Tony Sr., Jackson, Eli, your aunt, my brothers, Palmer and Breena, Maybe find Ducky’s relatives.”  
“Abs,” McGee said standing up “That’s asking a lot. First of all Eli David can hardly make time in his schedule to come to America to celebrate Christmas. Next-”  
“No McGee,” Abby interrupted. “We help Eli and Ziva celebrate Chanukah and they can stick around to celebrate Christmas with us.”  
“Abby…” McGee said.  
“Your mission McGee,” Abby said pointing to him again. “Is to find Ducky’s relatives and get them here for next Christmas. You have eleven months.” With that, she sat the mug of cocoa down and turned to the door.  
“I can do it in eleven minutes,” McGee grumbled after Abby left his apartment.

***

Charles sat on the couch staring at the wall. He was tempted to go into the bedroom and just lay on the bed until the second coming, but he had other work to do tonight. He got up and strolled into the kitchen. He grabbed a handful of grapes and headed for the bathroom. After relieving himself, he flushed and headed for the bedroom. He watched her sleeping soundly. It nearly amazed him that she could sleep so soundly, but he knew that any loud noise, especially her ringing phone could bring her awake at a moment’s notice.  
He reached down and gingerly moved a strand of hair from her face before leaving the room again. He knew that he should never have come here. It went against his plans. But as was so often the case with her, plans changed in a heartbeat. As he opened the front door, he turned and blew a silent kiss towards the bedroom.  
“Good night Jane,” he whispered. “I’ll see you soon.”

***

December 14, 2012:  
“I’ve got a special task for you today,” Gibbs said as he put on his coat.  
“What?” Tony asked. “Like don’t go down to autopsy and moon over the M.E.?”  
“No DiNozzo.” Gibbs said. “I want you to work with Ducky and Dr. Isles to help figure out if Hoyt is alive or not based on the evidence.”  
“Oh,” Tony said as he turned to grab his own coat. “Yeah of course that was my next guess.” The slap to the back of his head didn't really surprise him.  
“When we say something is done,” Gibbs said. “It’s done.” Gibbs headed out of the motel room and turned towards Ducky’s room.  
“Yeah,” Tony said with a smile before locking the door and following his boss.

***

Maura finished putting her credit card number into the form and paid for her purchase. That should make for a nice picnic, she thought. Just as she logged off her favorite shopping site, a tap came on her office door. Maura looked up to see not only Dr. Mallard, but Special Agent DiNozzo as well.  
“Well,” she said opening the door wider. “This is quite a surprise. What can I do for you gentlemen today?”  
“Funny you should ask.” DiNozzo said. “Gibbs was wondering if you and Ducky can work with the evidence to prove a theory.”  
“Oh? What theory?”  
“I’m afraid that if we reveal the theory in advance,” Ducky began, “it may contaminate your findings.”  
“Dr. Mallard I assure you that regardless of foreknowledge, I do not lead the evidence.”  
“Yes. Be that as it may, I must ask that you indulge me this one time.”  
“I assume this involves the case at hand.”  
“Yes of course.” Ducky said. “In fact Jethro believes that together we can follow the evidence and determine the true identity of the killer.”  
“Oh.” Maura said. “And what do you think?”  
“I believe it is possible for you to meet any challenge given you.” Ducky said with a smile.  
Maura smiled at Dr. Mallard and then looked over to see Special Agent DiNozzo looking at her with no small amount of pain in his eyes. For the sake of the completing this task, she chose to ignore this at this time. She would definitely need to have a talk with the young agent when this was all over. The trio headed into Maura’s lab to begin their task of finding the killer’s identity.

***

Jane was tempted to call in sick today. She had plenty of sick days piled up and she was just so damned tired this morning. She stumbled her way into the bathroom and turned on the light. She pulled her pajama pants down to her knees, lowered the toilet seat and sat down to relieve herself. Halfway through her morning pee, Jane’s head shot straight up and a chill ran down her spine.  
She finished quickly, jumped off the toilet and pulled her pants back up staring at the toilet as if it were somehow monstrous. She ran to her bedroom and jerked her gun out from under her pillow and grabbing her phone at the same time. Her hands shook as she frantically dialed the number.  
“Vince,” she said when the line connected. “Get a CSU team and come to my apartment.”  
“Are you o.k.?” Korsak asked.  
“Yeah,” she said, making her way from room to room clearing each one as she went. “Someone’s been in here while I was asleep.”  
“We’re on our way.” Vince said before hanging up.

***

“What’s going on?” Gibbs asked nearly bumping into Korsak and Frost as they rushed out of the squad room.  
“Someone broke into Rizzoli’s apartment last night while she was asleep.” Frost answered.

***

“The incisions were made at a slight angle.” Maura said examining the wound on Jeremy Davison’s neck. “It’s a very precise, single cut that began on the right side, severed the sternocleidomastoid muscle and lacerated the jugular vein. It then traversed the neck severing the sternohyoid muscle, barely missing both the thyroid cartilage and the lower side of the hyoid bone. It concludes making the same damage on the left side of the neck.”  
“Yes.” Ducky said leaning in towards the wound. “This person had a very steady hand.”  
“Or a very precise one.” Dr. Isles responded. “This is the exact same incisions made to all three Corsi siblings.”  
“So the same guy who did the Davisons did the first three too?” Tony asked from the foot of the autopsy table.  
“It would seem so.” Ducky said.  
“Although we can’t verify it conclusively,” Dr. Isles began. “It is highly unlikely for two people of equal skill to so perfectly match this work.”  
“What about Michelle Davison?” Tony asked.  
“The exact same cut on the neck wound.” Dr. Isles said. “And the abdominal wound was just as precise. The stitches sealing the wound and tying off the arteries inside are surgically precise. I would be hard pressed to mimic these knots.” She indicated the photos of Michelle’s abdominal wounds.  
Ducky watched the younger woman as she studied the autopsy photos.  
“Oh my God.” Dr. Isles said. Her face had gone pale and Tony moved up beside her. “No,” she said to him. “I’m fine. I just know who did this. But he couldn’t have.”

***

“She alright?” Gibbs asked Korsak as he stepped into the living room.  
“Yeah. She’s just shook up a little.” Korsak said looking at his partner with concern. “CSU picked up a print on the flush handle of her toilet and on the door knobs.”  
“What can I do?”  
“Help us get this bastard.” Korsak said through gritted teeth.  
It took the CSU two hours to process the entire apartment. They lifted prints from the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and living room. Gibbs and Korsak looked for anything the techs might have missed while Frost and Jane’s younger brother Frankie sat on each side of her. Jane shivered thinking that some unknown man had been in her bedroom while she slept. She couldn’t believe she could sleep through an unwanted invasion like that. When all of the techs left her apartment, Jane drank a cup of coffee that Gibbs had brought her. As she began to calm down, she picked up her gun and headed for the bedroom.  
“Vince, you and Gibbs head back to the squad and rush those prints.” She said as she stepped in her room. “Frankie, just go back to work. I’ll ride in with Frost.”  
Frost walked the two older men to the door and waited for Gibbs to step out into the hallway.  
“Keep your eyes opened.” Korsak told him. “You see anything that looks even remotely funny, call us.”  
“I’ll hang back a bit from you guys.” Frankie added. “I know you both can handle yourselves, but I’m not letting my sister too far out of my sight until this guy’s caught.”  
Frost nodded to both of them before closing the door behind them.

***

Charles watched as the Navy cop and Fat Vince left Jane’s building with a uniformed cop. The uniform got into his patrol car and headed down the street turning left at the intersection. A minute later, the other two turned right. He waited a couple more minutes just to be safe and was soon glad for his patience. The patrol car obviously circled the block and now parked at the other end presumably to wait and follow Jane.  
He crossed the street and strolled along the sidewalk until he came up to the open window of the patrol car. The cop didn’t even take his eyes off Jane’s building until it was too late. Charles whipped the stun gun out of his jacket and fired. The electrically charged darts struck the officer right in the face and sent 115 kilovolts of electricity into him. Charles dropped the stun gun into his pocket and made his way quickly towards the apartment building.

***

“Doctor Isles,” Ducky said. “Does the name Nelson Reed mean anything to you?”  
“Yes of course.” Maura said. “He was just brought in the day before yesterday.” Maura went to her computer and typed in the case number. “I performed his autopsy as soon as he came in because he’s worked for us before. Here it is.” Maura typed in a sequence that brought the file onto the large monitor on the back wall. “Multiple fractures throughout his body. Consistent with falling down stairs. Cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage caused by multiple fractures to the skull and trauma to the brain and brainstem.”  
“Could he have been pushed?” Ducky asked.  
“Well yes it’s possible.” She replied. “But I found no indications of a struggle.”  
“Perhaps not if he was attack by surprise.” Ducky said. “You say he worked for your office?”  
“Yes.” Dr. Isles said. “Last year we called him in from Bristol County to perform an autopsy. I couldn’t because of a conflict and our other M.E. was out of town.”  
“This was Charles Hoyt’s autopsy?” Tony asked.  
“Yes.” Dr. Isles said. “I was involved with the struggle when he died and could not be impartial during the autopsy.”  
“Dr. Isles did you ever read the autopsy report?” Tony asked.  
“No,” she said. “Hoyt was dead. I was eager to put him behind me.”  
“I think you should read it.” Tony handed her the file.  
Maura opened the file and began reading. Her brow furrowed as she scanned the report. “This doesn’t make any sense.” She said. “The damage described here is not possible.”  
“We sent Agents Evans and Grey to Reed’s house in Somerset.” Tony said. “They found these files in his office.” Tony handed the files to Dr. Isles and stepped into the hallway. “McGee.” He said into his phone. “Where are we tracking those financials?” He listened to McGee give his report. “Alright. I’ll let Gibbs know. Oh and stay out of my email McNosey.” He looked back into Autopsy and nodded to Ducky before heading downstairs.

***

Jane was annoyed with herself. She couldn’t stop her hands from shaking as she pulled her pants up and fastened them. It was bad enough she freaked out every time she thought of Hoyt, but she did not need to be appearing weak in front of everyone like this. As she reached for her gun, she checked herself in the mirror and groaned when she saw the upchuck stain on her blouse. Damn it, she thought. I forgot this is the shirt T.J. threw up on. I need to do some laundry.  
“Hey Frost,” she called aloud. “I’ll just be a minute. I need to find a shirt that has no baby puke on it.”  
“Take your time.” Frost called back to her as a soft knock came at the door. Must be Frankie letting me know he’s ready, he thought. He didn’t bother checking the peephole. If he had, he might have avoided the electric current that flowed through him as soon as he opened the door.  
Charles put the Taser back in his pocket and pulled out a syringe. He injected Frost with the phenobarbital that would keep him out long enough to get Jane subdued and everything set up. He quickly made his way to the bedroom door without making a sound. He pulled the Taser out of his pocket and waited. In less than a minute, the door opened and he struck. Injecting Jane with phenobarbital too, he moved her living room furniture around so he could place two chairs from the dinette on each side of the coffee table.  
It took less than five minutes to secure the two to the two chairs. Charles dug the car keys out of Frost’s pocket and headed out the door. This was a very risky part of his plan, but he wanted to give the patrol cop something to do while he worked. Once out the front door, Charles looked down the street to see the cop still slumped in his seat. He hit the unlock button on the keyring and headed for the Impala as it flashed its lights. It took him less than three minutes to drive the two and a half blocks to the alley where he hid the vehicle.

***


	7. Seven

Frankie’s head was buzzing and his face stung. His tongue felt like it was going to choke him as his vision cleared. He shook his head a time or two to clear it but a horrible ringing continued to scream in his ears. He reached up, pulled the dart from his cheek and looked at it. His first instinct was to grab for his radio and call in the assault, but he quickly thought better of it. He looked to where Frost had parked and saw the car gone.  
Damn, he thought as he reached for his phone. He dialed Jane’s number and listened as it went straight to voicemail. He disconnected the call and tried Frost’s number. Again, the call went straight to voicemail. He knew the two were heading to headquarters so he started the cruiser and put it into gear. While he waited for the light at the intersection, he dialed Korsak’s number.  
“Yeah Frankie.” Korsak said when the call connected.  
“Vince, I think we have a problem.” He said gunning his engine.  
“What’s going on?” Vince asked. “Is Jane o.k.?”  
“I don’t know.” Frankie said. “I was waiting for them to come out of the apartment and someone walked by and shot me with a Taser.”  
“Damn it.” Korsak said. “Are you o.k.?”  
“Yeah I’m fine, but Frost and Jane are gone and they’re not answering their phones.”  
“Ok.” Korsak said. “I’m getting everyone in on this. You keep trying to reach them.”

***

“NCIS, Special Agent McGee,” McGee said into the phone.  
“McGee.” Gibbs yelled into the phone over the siren in the background. “I need you to trace the following phone numbers.”  
“Um, o.k. Boss.” McGee said bringing up the appropriate program. “I’m ready.”  
“857-555-6499” Korsak called out and Gibbs repeated.  
“Got it.” McGee said.  
“857-555-2653” Korsak shouted.  
“Got them Boss.” McGee said while typing. “Boss neither phone is turned on. I can’t get a GPS read on them.”  
“Keep trying McGee.” Gibbs shouted. “Call me when you find them.”

***

Charles stepped around the corner just in time to see the patrol car speed away from the intersection. He watched smiling as the cop tore off down the street heading the wrong direction to find the car he hid. He entered the apartment building and headed up the stairs to Jane’s apartment to get everything ready for her to wake up. He opened the door to find the two detectives still unconscious and bound tightly.  
Charles moved the end table over so that it sat just behind and to the left of Jane, well out of reach in case Frost got loose. Charles knew that Frost was bound too well to escape, but with Jane, it never hurt to be extra careful. He checked her pulse at her carotid artery and did some quick math. There was plenty of time for him to have a bite to eat before she woke.

***

Maura was in a state. She paced her office nervously while Ducky continued reading the autopsy files for the two Marines, the Sailor, the Davisons, and Dr. Nelson Reed. If Reed’s death was accidental, Ducky thought, then it could well be a lucky coincidence that they were able to find his files about Hoyt at his home. If however, Hoyt killed Reed as well, why was he not slaughtered like the others?  
“Doctor Isles,” he said. “Hoyt’s file mentions that he attended Harvard.”  
“Yes.” Maura said continuing to pace. “He was expelled when they caught him fondling the corpses at the Medical School.”  
“Yes.” Ducky said. “I wonder if you would indulge in a bit of psychological analysis of Hoyt.”  
Maura stopped short and stared at the older Medical Examiner. “What do you mean?”  
“In all of your contact with him,” Ducky began. “Did he ever seem disassociated from his actions?”  
“No.” she answered. “He always seemed quite lucid. Well aware of his actions and the consequences of them. In fact, the only time he seemed irrational was when he was pursuing Jane. The thought of capturing and killing Jane consumed his entire existence where she was concerned. His plans were sloppy in hindsight and poorly executed.”  
“I see.” Ducky said. “I believe that Charles Hoyt did indeed kill Dr. Reed. But he felt rushed and lacked a female victim, so he chose to kill him in a way that went against his ritual simply to have him out of the way.”  
“That’s certainly possible.” Maura said. “But it doesn’t explain Frankie. Why would Hoyt just stun him and not kill him? I mean after all, he is Jane’s brother.”  
“If, as you say Hoyt becomes consumed with his goal, where Detective Rizzoli is concerned,” Ducky said. “He may well stand directly in front of anyone and be unable to recognize them personally. He would see them merely as obstacles to be disposed of in the least obstructive manner possible.”  
“But surely it would have been simpler to kill Frankie rather than stun him and let him get away.”  
“Perhaps not. Not if your goal was to avoid more police arriving before you captured your prey.”

***

Frankie squealed to a stop right in front of the Homicide headquarters and killed his engine. He ran into the building and headed straight upstairs to meet up with Korsak and the Navy cops. As soon as he entered the squad room, he had to fight his way to the front of the assembled detectives.  
“Alright settle down.” Cavanaugh called bringing the room to order. “It seems that our previous assumption that Charles Hoyt died last year is mistaken. We now know that the M.E. we brought in faked his autopsy and let him escape. We may never know why but that’s not important right now.  
“Charles Hoyt once again has taken Jane Rizzoli hostage. This time he has Barry Frost as well. We have NCIS here helping us track them down but we need people tracking down leads and getting information. We’re looking for any sign of the three of them or Rizzoli’s Impala.”  
“How do you want us to engage Lieutenant?” a detective Frankie recognized from vice asked.  
“If you find any of them you will engage only with appropriate force.” Lieutenant Cavanaugh answered. “Our primary goal is getting Frost and Rizzoli back safe.” After receiving nods from nearly everyone in the room Cavanaugh set them loose. “Go find out people.”  
Cavanaugh walked over to where Korsak and Gibbs sat working the phones. He watched as these two seasoned veterans used their various skills trying to find his two missing detectives.

***

Tony left the motel office with a smile on his face. He and Gibbs had gotten Hoyt’s description from the manager yesterday after he found the bodies of the Davisons. What DiNozzo came back for today was a piece of information he forgot to get the day before. Now he had that information and he dialed McGee’s extension.  
“NCIS Special Agent McGee.” Tony heard over the handset.  
“McGee, I need you to put a BOLO out in Boston for the following vehicle.”  
“Is this about finding the missing detectives?” McGee asked.  
“What missing detectives?”  
“Uh Detectives Rizzoli and Frost.” McGee said.  
Shit, Tony thought to himself. “Yeah McGee this might be directly related.”  
He started his rental car and put it into gear as he relayed the information to McGee. He then checked his phone and saw that Gibbs had been trying to call him the past half hour. Shit, he thought again as he dialed.  
“Tony!” Gibbs yelled over the phone.  
“Hey Boss.” Tony said quickly. “I know about Rizzoli and Frost. I am heading back to the squad room now.”  
“Hurry the hell up.”  
“Right Boss.” Tony disconnected the call and tossed the phone into the passenger’s seat. “Damn it.” Tony sat at the intersection waiting for the light to change when his phone rang again.  
“DiNozzo.” He answered.  
“Tony, I got a hit for you.”  
“On Hoyt’s van?”  
“No.” McGee answered. “On Rizzoli’s Impala.”  
“Where?”  
“Two and a half blocks from her apartment.”  
“It was lo-jacked and B.P.D. didn’t find it?”  
“No, but I called OnStar and had them activated the car’s communications they found it from there.”  
“Good work McGee. Call Gibbs.”  
Tony cut across traffic and turned right heading straight for Rizzoli’s apartment.

***

“Hello Detective Frost.” The voice said. “That’s right. Come on back to us. That’s it. Welcome back.”  
Frost tried to reach for his gun when he saw the face in front of him but quickly found his arms tight behind him. He struggled hard to stand up, but his legs too were tight to the chair.  
“Now, now.” Hoyt said with both hands on Frost’s shoulders. “You need to calm down. How else are you going to enjoy the show?”  
Frost tried his best to scream through the gag in his mouth only to get a sharp slap across his face.  
“Now,” Hoyt said. “While I would prefer to have you awake and witness the exquisite tortures I am about to introduce our Jane to, you should understand that I will not hesitate to kill you quickly should you force my hand. Do you understand?”  
Frost nodded as tears fell down his eyes. This is one of his worst nightmares. His friend and partners in mortal danger while he sat unable to help her. Frost worked his arms and legs ever so slightly trying to loosen the ropes that held him. He watched as Jane continued to sit in her own chair unconscious. He turned his head to see that Hoyt now sat at Jane’s dinette eating a sandwich. Anger welled up in him from the very center of his being. The urge to beat and choke the man sitting in his friend’s apartment enveloped him to the point he did not notice the ropes biting into his skin as his muscles tightened.

***

Maura’s normal unflappable demeanor dissolved the moment she heard that Jane and Frost were missing. Frost and Jane were well beyond her co-workers, they were her friends. Jane, without exception was her best friend. It was only chance that she and Dr. Mallard were upstairs when Agent Gibbs told Korsak and Frankie that they found Jane’s car, but now she sat in the back seat of Frankie’s cruiser not even caring that she was getting her new Ted Baker skirt soiled from an unidentified stain on the seat. She occasionally had to remind herself to breath as they rushed to the location of Jane’s car.  
Maura sat up when she saw the collection of police cars already assembled ahead at the entrance of the alley. As Frankie came to a stop, she noted the hurried movements of the officers in the area. This is good news. She thought. If we were too late, they would have a defeated look to them. She watched as Frankie jogged forward and turned into the alley. It didn’t occur to her that he forgot to let her out until Dr. Mallard opened the door for her.  
“Thank you Doctor.” She said and hurried toward the alley herself. She saw Agent DiNozzo snapping photographs of Jane’s car from every conceivable angle. Two officers were looking through the trunk while several others scanned the alley looking for clues. Maura was starting to think the worst wanting something to do while hoping no one would need her particular skills. She saw Agent DiNozzo put the cap on his camera and then seal the memory card into an evidence envelope.  
“Agent DiNozzo.” She said walking towards him. “Any sign of them?”  
“I’m afraid not Kate.” DiNozzo said. “Looks like Hoyt just dumped the car here and moved on with them.”  
“But how could he get them into a different car in broad daylight?”  
“He parked pretty deep in this alley.” DiNozzo said. “He could have probably conducted a symphony in here and no one would have seen him.”  
“Somebody always sees something Detective.” Jane heard a familiar voice say. She turned her head and saw the one person who may have seen something even if it was in this alley.  
“Rondo!” Maura practically shouted waving him over. “Rondo, please tell me you saw something.”  
“No Doc, I just got here.” Rondo said. “I heard about Vanilla and caught a ride over here. I already checked with some of the cats that hang here. That lady over there behind the dumpster,” he said pointing to a thin homeless woman standing outside the cluster of police. “She lives here and saw the dude who pulled the car in.”  
DiNozzo nodded to Maura and then rushed over to the woman with Maura and Rondo hot on his heels.  
“Ma’am,” Tony said. “My name’s Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. Can you tell us what you saw when this car was left here?”

***

“Ah well welcome to the party Jane.” Hoyt said with a smile. Jane’s vision was still cloudy. The voice she heard however made her jump and attempt to scream. The gag muffled her screams so that they came out sounding like a moan. The ropes around her arms and legs kept her in place but didn’t hamper her struggles to get free.  
“Now, now.” Hoyt said stroking her hair. “Shh shh shh shh. You need to calm down or this will be more uncomfortable than it needs to be.”  
Jane struggled even harder as her vision cleared and her eyes confirmed what her ears told her. Charles Hoyt stood in front of her smiling. He’s dead. She thought to herself. I killed him. I sent him to Hell and now he’s back to take me with him. Jane began sobbing and almost didn’t hear the thumping of another chair bouncing off the floor. Oh God, she thought. He got Frost too. This thought was confirmed when Hoyt turned and struck Frost’s face with such force Barry’s head snapped sideways. Frost stopped struggling but Jane could see his arms and legs still strained against the ropes that held him in place.  
This wasn’t right. Jane knew what was about to happen. She’d escaped it too often to think she could get out of it this time. It just wasn’t right to make Frost watch it happen. The poor guy can’t handle gore. Jane sobbed harder knowing that she was about to be operated on while Frost choked on his own vomit.  
Jane felt Hoyt’s hands grab her shoulders and lift her from the chair. He tossed her onto the sofa and positioned her while she struggled against the inevitable. Hoyt pulled her along the sofa until she lay perfectly between the arms. She continued to struggle until she felt a solid object slam into the side of her face. Disoriented, Jane lay on the sofa trying to regain her bearings and remember what she was doing.  
Frost watched Hoyt punch Rizzoli in the face. The bile rising in him as he fought the images of what was about to happen. He watched and wiggled his arms against his ropes as Hoyt brought his tools over to the coffee table and spread them out. Hoyt picked up a pair of hemostats and used them to grab a piece of gauze, which he dipped in what smelled like rubbing alcohol. After wiping the gauze across Jane’s stomach, he placed the hemostats back on the coffee table and picked up a scalpel. Hoyt turned his head to Frost and smiled.  
“You in particular will like this next part.” Hoyt said as he brought the scalpel toward Jane’s stomach.  
Jane felt the cold of the alcohol swab as Hoyt swiped it across her stomach. She looked up after hearing Hoyt talking and saw the scalpel coming toward her midsection. Jane tried her best to scream through the gag as the blade pierced her skin. Through the fear and her own screams, she still heard the splintering bang of someone kicking a door in followed by the report of a gunshot.

***


	8. Eight

Gibbs and Korsak joined Tony as the woman told him everything she saw. The man in the picture Tony showed her drove the car into the alley then got out and walked back the way he came. Tony thanked the woman and gave her twenty dollars for something to eat. Maura took a second to thank Rondo for pointing the woman out and getting her to talk.  
“Ok Boss, so what do you think?” Tony asked. “Did he take them somewhere and bring the car back to throw us off?”  
“That’s how I’d do it.” Korsak said. “Frankie, how long after he shot you with the dart, before you came to?”  
“I dunno. Maybe a few minutes.”  
“And your sister and Frost hadn’t come out of the apartment before you were shot?” Tony asked.  
“No. I pulled around the block and waited for them.” Frankie said. “But the car was gone when I came to.”  
“Boss, you thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?” Tony asked.  
“Yeah.” Gibbs said heading for the rental car. “The guy’s not the genius he thinks he is.”  
“Frankie Korsak, he’s still at her apartment.” Tony called following Gibbs.  
It took less than two minutes for the three cars to race to Jane’s apartment building. By unspoken agreement, all Vince and Frankie came in without their sirens. Gibbs and Tony were out of their car first while Korsak and Maura followed with Frankie and Ducky coming up behind. Ducky grabbed Maura as she started to go up with Korsak.  
“My dear, you and I should bring up the rear.” He told her. Maura nodded and she and Ducky followed everyone into the building.  
Outside Jane’s door, Gibbs held his ear to the door to listen. He heard a muffled scream coming from the other side accompanied by a thumping noise. He signaled Frankie to kick the door in and followed the younger Rizzoli inside. Gibbs saw the suspect with Detective Rizzoli at the sofa. He was in the process of slicing a scalpel across her stomach when they barged in. Gibbs started to squeeze the trigger, but eased off when he heard Frankie firing his Beretta. Gibbs saw the suspect go down and moved in to secure the scene.  
“Jane!” Maura screamed rushing past everyone to get in to her friend.  
“Kate no!” Tony called rushing too, only toward where Hoyt had fallen. Tony looked down and saw the bullet hole in the middle of Hoyt’s forehead. He kneeled and felt for a pulse but found none. Tony holstered his pistol and looked to Gibbs with a nod of his head.  
Gibbs and Korsak followed Tony’s lead and they too holstered their weapons before Korsak moved to untie Frost. Gibbs went over to Frankie and helped lower the younger man’s weapon before turning him towards his sister.  
“Oh God Janey!” Frankie cried as he saw the cut halfway across his sister’s belly. Maura was covering the cut with gauze to help stop the blood flow. Frankie rushed to his sister’s side to try to help Maura in any way he could.  
Vince finally cut the last of Frost’s ropes loose and the younger man fell on his knees beside Frankie.  
“Jane I’m so sorry.” He whispered as tears flowed down his cheeks.

***

December 15, 2012:  
Jane swiped her face to remove the tears as she heard the door open. She looked over and saw Korsak walking in.  
“Hey.” He said as he came over to her bedside. “Listen, you need to know there’s a long line waiting to come in here after I leave.”  
“God,” Jane groaned. “Please tell me that ma isn’t out there.”  
“She is.” Vince said with a smile. “But she’s gonna wait until everyone else sees you before she comes in. In fact, she’s the one who made the list of who comes in here when.”  
“God,” Jane said almost laughing. “She’s been hanging around Maura too much.”  
“Yeah, well Maura’s on her way in here. She’s gotta get back to work.”  
“How’s frost?” Jane asked.  
“He blames himself,” Korsak said, “just like I did.”  
“I’m so sorry Vince.”  
“Just promise me you won’t apply for another new partner.”  
“Ugh, I already have two more than I can handle.” Vince was still laughing as he left the room to let Maura visit.

***

Maura was back in Autopsy. This time she was there as an observer. Once again, the law prohibited her from performing the autopsy on Charles Hoyt. She watched as Dr. Mallard performed the “Y” incision to open the body.  
“Just as we thought,” Ducky said. “His previous injury at the hands of Detective Rizzoli left some scarring in the muscle tissue above his breastbone.” As he removed the muscle, he peered down at the bone itself. “Yes, and there is the gouge where the scalpel was stopped.” Dr. Mallard began examining the lower organs of the torso and paused briefly.  
“This is strange.” He said.  
“What?” Maura asked.  
“It seems that Mr. Hoyt had recent surgery.”  
“How recent?”  
“Within the past year if the scarring is an indication. See here? He has had part of his pancreas removed as well as his gallbladder.”  
“He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about a year and a half ago.” Maura said remembering the conversation and research she did.  
“I do not see any sign of cancer cells, so he was in remission.”  
“Too bad.” Maura said shaking her head.  
The autopsy progressed normally from that point. Dr. Mallard confirmed the cause of death, but more importantly for Maura, he confirmed actual death. This time she knew beyond any doubt that Charles Hoyt would not return. After Dr. Mallard concluded the autopsy, Maura thanked him and left her office to find Agent DiNozzo.

***

“Agent DiNozzo?” Maura said as she walked into the café.  
“Dr. Isles.” Tony said. “Please join me.”  
“I wanted to thank you for everything you did helping find Jane and Frost.” She said after taking a seat.  
Tony looked at her for a full minute before speaking. “You know,” he began. “Your hair color isn’t the only difference between you and Kate. And fortunately, you face isn’t the only similarity.”  
“Why don’t you tell me about her?”  
“Well,” Tony began with a smile. “As you can probably guess, she was incredibly beautiful.” Maura smiled at this and blushed slightly. “But that was only a superficial thing about her. Something she didn’t even concern herself with. She was intensely dedicated to her work. More dedicated to her friends. For those of us who were lucky enough, we were her family.”  
“She sounds like someone who was easy to love.”  
“Don’t kid yourself.” Tony grinned. “It was kinda hard to get to that point with her. But once you realized how much she meant to you, it became impossible not to love her. You know she once pretended to have Pneumonic Plague just so I wouldn’t have to die alone?”  
“What?” Maura said surprised that anyone in this era even knew of yersinia pestis.  
“It all started, well a few weeks before she died.” Tony said.

***

Gibbs stopped at the entrance of the café and watched as DiNozzo talked with Dr. Isles. It was good to see him like this. He seemed animated without flirting, smiling, and relaxing. If they didn’t have to get back to D.C., he’d suggest Tony stick around a couple of days. Gibbs felt Cavanaugh come up behind him and took a sip of his coffee while he waited for the man to speak.  
“You don’t know how much I owe you.” Cavanaugh said.  
“Just glad we could help Lieutenant.” Gibbs said.  
“It’s more than just saving two of my detectives.” Cavanaugh said. “They’re more than just my people.  
“I know.” Gibbs said taking another sip of his coffee before looking at Cavanaugh. “I’m the same way with my people.”  
“What was it like?” Cavanaugh asked pointing to Maura and Tony sitting in the café laughing and talking.  
“It was like coming home and seeing my daughter running to the door.” Gibbs smiled. “Until reality hit.”

***

The flight back to D.C. was quiet. Neither Gibbs nor DiNozzo said a word about the case. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts placed the remains of the Davisons in a potter’s field just outside of Boston. He and DiNozzo saw the Corsis interred in their family plot in Mount Hope cemetery. With the case wrapped up, Gibbs sent Ducky home early while he and DiNozzo stayed to check in on Rizzoli and say their goodbyes to Dr. Isles.  
“How many times did you slip?” Gibbs asked as he fastened his seatbelt for landing.  
“On what Boss?” Gibbs gave Tony an annoyed look before the younger man answered. “At least twice.”  
“Yeah.” Me too.  
Walking through the terminal, Gibbs told Tony to go ahead and head home. He had something to take care of back at the office. When the two separated, Gibbs headed for the airport bar and took a seat at a table where a man sat reading a newspaper.  
“You could have tried to be less conspicuous” he said to the man who continued to read the paper.  
“Yes,” the man said. “And you could have ignored my request.”  
“Bourbon.” Gibbs said to the waiter who appeared at his shoulder.  
“I really need your help Jethro.” The man said lowering his newspaper.  
“I figured that.” Gibbs said getting a look at Deputy Director Jerome Craig’s defeated look.  
“We’ll need to bring in McGee and DiNozzo too.” Craig said.  
“We can’t leave the quad room short like that.”  
“SecNav and Leon have already signed off on it.  
“When?”  
“Just after New Year.”  
Gibbs leaned back in his chair and allowed the waiter to set his drink in front of him. “I’ll tell them after Christmas.” He said standing up and grabbing his bag and the briefcase sitting beside it.

***


End file.
